Inflammation Thread Runs across Medical Laboratory Specialities

Figure 3

Complement component C4 levels depend on vitamin D sufficiency. With increasing vitamin D levels up to sufficiency (abscissa), the C4 serum levels statistically significantly increase in this cohort of healthy senior study participants > 60 years of age. From Sakem et al. 2013 [60]. A cohort of 1,470 healthy Swiss men and women, 60 years or older, were recruited for this study. A total of 179 subjects dropped out of the study because of elevated serum concentrations of C-reactive protein (>5 mg/L) making occult inflammation suspicious. 25(OH) vitamin D was measured using HPLC and levels were corroborated by parathyroid hormone measurements (not shown). The C4 levels were measured using immunonephelometry.